Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Dressed to the Max

I have reviewed the Foulard print capris HERE, but on my last visit to the store I was able to try on the maxi dress and few other items.

Maxi silk dress in Foulard print

I never thought this dress would work for me. Most maxi dresses are 'too granola' and 'too boho' for my style, but I actually liked it a lot.

I am 5'6 and the length is perfect on me. I think if you are shorter than 5'4, it may be too short without hemming. One nice detail about this dress is that the straps would work with regular bra. I don't have a picture of a back view, but the straps are attached with buttons and there is 3 or 4 sets of button holes for a custom fit. It was displayed crisscrossed in the back and this is how I have put it on, but I think you can also button them straight.

Maxi dress in Foulard print

Good length, size 6

the waistband is elasticized

There is short side zipper, but it is starting from waistband and going up towards underarm, so it will not affect the fit with a belt. Since there is elastic in the waistband you just pull the skirt portion on. Having elastic waistband lets you adjust the gathering of the fabric, which is very handy, especially when you wear a cardigan and want to avoid puffing up in the middle, ykwim? You can see below how I moved the pleats away from the middle and towards the sides and compare to the picture above.

with (wrong) shoes on

I think this dress would work better with either flats or sandals but these were the shoes I had on that day. Same goes for the belt below, maybe brown one would be better, but you get the idea.

it works nicely with a cardigan

I think it looks good with a cardigan, I am not sure which one it is, I just grabbed a navy one from the table without looking too closely.

$198, 100% silk, lining 100% polyester

Lighting was not very good in this fitting room, but the print is pretty irl. Overall, I really liked the dress, it does has a boho vibe but I think I could pull it off. The fact that it works nicely with a cardi and a regular bra is a huge plus. For me personally, the wearability is limited, since it cannot go to the office. I would not even think about paying full price, but once it goes on sale I would definitely reconsider it. If you have more casual lifestyle and/or can rock the boho vibe, this dress may be even more attractive.

OK, so this is another variation of the dress that comes Fanfare, Ashbury and other prints.
I like the Fanfare version better, I am really starting to get sick of all the stripes and I never thought I would say that but yes, this is getting a little redundant.

two words: TOO. SHORT.

$188, 100% silk, lining 100% polyester

Unidentified a-line sleeveless knit dress

Now, to make things a little different we have... Surprise! Another striped dress! I got tired just looking at it. Sorry! I tried it on briefly and it was a disaster. Too high waisted and too skimpy in in the chest area and too big in the hips. Maybe Medium would work better but I didn't have energy for it. I was meaning to take the picture of the back but I forgot. It has buttons from center back to waistline. I think if you are pear shaped it will have nicer fit.

In case you are interested in it, I think the fit was a little tight in it, especially in the chest. It falls to the knee. I was trying size 6 which is a size in my summer cotton Attache dress ( that is even a bit loose) and I think I should have sized up to 8 which seems to be my size in dresses this year. The oceanfront color is TDF!!!

Oh, and the striped knit dress above is apparently Villa
dress in stripe. Now I know that I was very tired because I thought the buttons were in the back. No wonder I thought it was skimpy in the chest, lol.
Sorry, if I confused anybody!

ANOTHER UPDATE:
I am now totally confused because, as simplydreaming poited out the description does say 'buttoned back'.
And when I think about it this is how it was displayed in store, with buttons in the back! OK, so there is a hope for me, I am not just loosing it completely :)

11 comments:

i really like the maxi. i'm with you on the bra strap issue. women wear bras. why don't more designers think about that? it just kills me. i never thought i'd say i was sick of stripes either but they are everywhere! thanks for all these dressing room reports!

If I lived in a warmer climate, I'd live in maxi dresses. The only thing I don't like there - just my own bugbear, is that baggy bit under the bust, I took a dress back because of it last week, it makes me look so matronly.

Thanks for the great review - I think both look lovely on you! I agree with you and Janet re: the bras and it is so funny, as my daughter and I have been watching Project Rnway All Stars and Joanne Cole, who is editor-in-chief of Marie Claire Magazine, and their mentor on the show, keeps berating the designers for not making dresses that women can wear bras with! It is too funny and every time she says that (speaking as a 32F!) I go yeah!

The Foulard print on the maxi dress is really cute! I wear maxi dresses a lot in the spring and summer, so I am always on the lookout for a new one to add to my collection. It isn't likely that I'll get this one though because of the baggy bit under the bust that Tabitha noted.

I really like the print on that dress and I think it is a really pretty look for you. I guess it's wearability: weekends only? Holiday lounging? I don't own a single maxi dress, I don't really live in the climate for it and I can't imagine doing housework in one. Maybe for lounging around drinking cocktails, hmmmm.Thanks for the update, new arrivals you say, going to look now!

I like the maxi with the cardigan and the belt more than on its own but who knows maybe I will be completely blown away when I see it and try it in a store (usually I don't like the elastic under boobs thing though, as Tabitha noted it gives me the matronly look.Oh no, another Jules! And more stripes! They have definitively reached market saturation on both.

Hi ladies, thank you for all your comments. Seems like we are all in agreement about the elastic band and bunching up under bust. I though this was just the style and did not bother me so much but maybe you are right, well, it definitely does not make it any better. I think I actually liked it better with a cardigan. I don't do too much aspirational buying but I do have this fantasy boho version of myself that is wandering through the meadows full of flowers in a maxi dress and straw hat...LOLAnd I also agree about the bra straps, any dress that I cannot wear a regular bra with is usaully an automatic deal breaker. I need my bra.Again, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!!!